(Exodus 15 — 15) "Then the chiefs of Edom were confounded"

Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael Mekhilta Tractate Shirah 9:15

Curated by The Jewish Mythology Team · Published January 9, 2025

When the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, the news sent shockwaves through the ancient world. The Mekhilta examines the verse "Then the chiefs of Edom were confounded" (Exodus 15:15) and asks a pointed question: why were the Edomites afraid? Israel had no designs on their territory.

The Torah itself makes this explicit. God had already told Moses (Deuteronomy 2:5): "I will not give you of their land." Edom's borders were guaranteed. The Israelites were not coming to conquer or dispossess the Edomites. They were passing through on the way to their own promised inheritance. So what exactly confounded the chiefs of Edom?

The Mekhilta's answer is psychologically acute: worry over contention. The Edomites were not afraid of invasion. They were afraid of friction. A massive nation of former slaves marching through the region with divine backing was bound to create tension, border disputes, resource competition, and the general anxiety that comes when a powerful new neighbor appears on your doorstep.

This reading strips the verse of any triumphalist reading. The chiefs of Edom were not quaking before Israel's military might. They were anxious about the practical consequences of having millions of people suddenly moving through their territory — a thoroughly human, thoroughly relatable fear.

Themes

Wisdom Egypt Exodus Passover

Biblical References

Exodus 15:15

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